Awakening
by xXOceanXx
Summary: Following the events of the Battle City Tournament, a mysterious, new girl appears in Domino High. As she befriends a boy named Ryou Bakura, she becomes aware of his dark and sinister side. Complications arise when the Spirit of the Ring takes a sudden interest in her and the secrets that she so desperately tries to hide.
1. Chapter I

_**A/n:** Uh, first of all, this isn't the first story I've written, I've written a few others before but not on this account. This is most definitely my first Yu-Gi-Oh! story so if there are any mix ups that need sorting, please let me know. It's been awhile since I watched the anime, I've read a bit of the manga over my holiday break and hopefully it's enough to jog my memory of certain events and whatever._

 _This will be rated M for violence and language (and maybe some other stuff later)._

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!**

* * *

Chapter 1 The Nightmare

 _The night was cold and endless._

 _Alone and confused, he had been walking tirelessly for hours before exhaustion had finally caught up with him. He lifted his head up, his deep brown eyes gazing up at the cloudless sky, noticing the unusually large moon, its bright light shining over his long, white hair. Closing his eyes, he drew in a long breath. The air surrounding him was cool in the absence of any wind or breeze, though it did little to comfort him.  
_

 _He continued on the rocky path ahead of him, walking on with no sense of where he was going and passing by several large buildings with broken windows that glared at him as he walked by. The buildings were weak, fragile and cracked, no longer able to stand on their own. Most of them seemed like they would crumble to the ground at any second. Not that he cared. He walked slowly, dragging his feet along as if he had no purpose. How much longer? He kicked at a few small stones. The streets were littered with debris and rubble from the old buildings left to decay. As he continued on, the buildings fell, one by one, until only one remained. It stood menacingly ahead of him._

 _The white-haired boy finally stopped in front of what appeared to be a rust-colored, metal door. He felt a change in the air as it suddenly grew colder, as if all life had stopped and the light had gone from this world. He shivered involuntarily as his trembling hands reached for the cool handle._

 _Slowly and cautiously, he pushed the door open, its rusty hinges causing it to squeak as moonlight gradually crept in. On the other side was nothing but a cold and eternal darkness that sent chills down his spine. Against his better judgment, he took a few steps forward and entered the blackness. He ran his hand up against the rough wall, searching for some sort of light switch but could not find any._

 _Then, he heard it. Footsteps._

 _He decided to follow the sound. Further into the darkness, he walked, pausing in his steps as he looked behind him. The door was no longer within sight. No turning back now. The only way was forward._

 _As he moved deeper and deeper into the blackness, the sound of the footsteps stopped. Now aware of the deafening silence, the boy too stopped, his legs now frozen in place. Straining his ears, he listened, but the only sound was that of his own heartbeat. After what seemed like an eternity, the footsteps continued, accompanied by a hideous laugh, one full of malice and cruelty. And as suddenly as it had started, the laughing ceased._

 _He was startled when he heard a voice, one that he never wanted to hear again._

" _Hello, Host." The dark voice cut through the darkness like a jagged knife._

 _Ryou gasped, cold air quickly filling his lungs as he turned on his feet and ran. The dark voice laughed, the cruel sound of it surrounding him, coming at him in all directions. Faster. Run. His legs picked up the pace, unsure of where they were taking him._

 _'He's not too far behind.'_

 _He could feel his heart thumping loudly within his chest, so loud, he was sure it was the sound of drums._

" _Help me!" he called out._

 _No reply._

 _The darkness laughed at him._

" _Please. Help me." His voice became a whisper._

 _So weak…_

 _Ryou didn't stop. He didn't look back. As he ran, he tripped and fell hard to the ground. Groaning from the sudden impact of the fall, he felt something warm and wet beneath his hands. As he opened his eyes, he screamed and forced himself off the ground and onto his feet. Shakily, he stared at his hands, trying to swallow the lump that had crawled up into his throat. His hands were red, covered in what he knew to be blood. He scanned the area as pools of the red liquid surrounded him._

' _No.'_

 _His breathing stopped when he saw them lying there, his friends, bathed in large pools of their own blood. Their eyes were open, but their bodies lay still, so very still as if they were just rag dolls. There was no mistaking it._

 _They were dead._

 _Horror and shock spread across his features, but were replaced by an overwhelming sadness that made his heart ache terribly. Was he to blame? Could he have prevented this?_

 _No._

 _There was nothing he could do. He stared at each of their faces as tears welled up in his eyes._

" _Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Anzu. I'm sorry, so, so sorry." He began to sob, his warm, wet tears making their way down his cheeks._

 _The darkness laughed, taking great pleasure in the boy's sorrow and anguish._

" _Look at what you've done, my dear Host."_

 _The sudden grating sound jarred Ryou as he cringed at the voice he knew all to well. He stood still, feeling his own blood rush loudly through his veins along with the fear that had taken hold of him. He dragged his eyes toward the direction of the voice and choked at the horror that stood before him. Next to the lifeless bodies stood a shadowy figure, its back facing him. As the figure turned, Ryou's eyes widened as the dim light revealed who he was._

 _It was like staring into a mirror, at his own reflection._

 _His features were hidden in the shadows, but Ryou could sense his evil smirk. The man twirled a small knife in his right hand, its silver blade stained with fresh blood. Ryou wanted to vomit, his knees shaking as they tried to support him. He felt bile rise in his throat and quickly forced it down._

 _After some time, Ryou spoke.  
_

" _Y-you did this," he said, his voice quivering, his breathing fast and shallow._

 _Then he felt it._

 _It was as if something was clawing at his very soul, ripping him to pieces and putting him back together just so that the process could repeat itself. He clutched his head, forcing his eyes shut as he cried out in agony. When he opened his eyes, the figure had disappeared, but the bodies still lay there, motionless, painted in large amounts of red._

 _With a shaky breath, Ryou slowly raised his hands up, his eyes widening at the sight of the blood-stained knife that he now clasped tightly in his right hand. He let out a gasp as the knife slipped out of his hold and dropped to the ground, the metal clank echoing endlessly in his ears as he knelt down in the large puddle of blood._

 _He allowed despair to course though him as death rang clear in his head._

 _You failed._

" _No," Ryou whispered._

 _I've won…_

"No!" Ryou awoke suddenly from the darkness of his sleep, his chest heaving as cold sweat ran down his forehead. His hand instinctively went to his chest, half-expecting to find the cold, metal object there, but much to his relief there was nothing.

He breathed deeply before swinging his legs to the side of the bed and making his way towards the bathroom. Stopping once in front of the sink, he allowed the water to run as he splashed some of the cool liquid onto his face before forcing his tired eyes to stare at himself in the mirror. His long white hair was messier than usual and his eyes looked like they had seen better days. With a long sigh, he shook his head and turned off the water. He felt drained, physically and mentally. There had been many nights, before losing his memory, when he felt a strange presence, someone who was always watching him, even in his sleep, and tonight was no different.

Making his way out of the bathroom, he crawled back into his bed and pulled the covers over him. Rest was all that he needed so he welcomed sleep to come and take over. As he felt himself drifting back to sleep, his thoughts of someone watching him slowly faded into nothingness. His chest rose and fell as sounds of light snoring filled the darkened room. It was then that a golden ring-like object materialized over his chest, emitting a faint glow of golden light. The sudden appearance of it did not stir Ryou from his slumber.

Deep within the mysterious item, the Millennium Ring, a low, velvety voice was heard.

 _Sleep well, Landlord._

* * *

 _ **A/n:** Feed me some constructive criticism please, they are my source of energy. If you're all out, then at least let me know what you guys think. Writing just isn't my forte so it's something I wish to improve on._


	2. Chapter II

_**A/n:**_ _Thank you to Shez for reviewing. I really, really appreciate it and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Hope you stick around. Honestly, reading comments and/or feedback makes my day and helps me become a better writer. Even if you think what you have to say isn't really necessary, say it anyway. It means a lot to writers to hear what you think. Also, thanks to those who have read through the first chapter even if you didn't review._

 _Oh and before we continue, I forgot to mention that this story won't be following the original too closely. I will change some things here and there and of course the plot after Battle City will be something entirely different from the manga/anime. If I followed the actual story similar to how it was written, then this story probably wouldn't be that interesting._

 _Enough of that, here's the next chapter._

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!**

* * *

Chapter 2 First Meeting

Ryou stirred and slowly awoke to the buzzing sound of his alarm clock. Keeping his eyes shut, he attempted to block out the obnoxious noise, but it was no use. Try as he might, he couldn't shut it out. Rolling to his side, he lifted his eyelids and squinted at the digital numbers on his clock. With a light groan, he carefully reached for the snooze button and with that the clock went silent. He rubbed his tired eyes and brought himself to a sitting position as his eyes adjusted to the morning light that streamed through the flimsy curtains of his bedroom window. Outside the apartment, he could hear the call of the morning birds, singing one of their many cheerful songs. It was a new day and he was far from feeling well-rested.

As exhausted as Ryou felt, he knew he couldn't sleep in. He wouldn't dare think of the consequences. He rubbed the side of his face with his palm, recalling the nightmare that had invaded his sleep last night.

Closing his eyes, he felt a light shiver travel down his spine as the images flashed in his head.

 _It was just a dream, none of it was real_ , he thought sternly to himself. _The Spirit is gone this time, he's gone. He has to be…_

Ryou wanted nothing more than to believe that the Spirit of the Millennium Ring was truly out of his life for good, that he was finally free from his control, free to live his own life like a normal person and not have to deal with evil spirits and possession. But deep down, he couldn't shake the familiar sense of foreboding. The Spirit was relentless. There was a good chance that he would find his way back to him again. If not now, then maybe later down the road. And what would happen then, if he did return? What if he took over his body once more and caused even more damage? Could Ryou prevent him from carrying out his plans, whatever plans they may be? Would he be able to protect his friends from that evil monster?

Frustration shot through him. How could he? He was so weak and the Spirit was too strong. He couldn't even protect himself.

His eyes drifted down to the left side of his body. Cleanly wrapped bandages made their way up his upper arm. A stab wound, the doctor told him. Ryou had never expected the Spirit to be the cause of his injury. Of course, as his own spirit at the time was locked away deep within the darkest recesses of his mind, he was completely unaware of the Spirit's actions. One minute he was fine, the next he was down on his knees in a dueling arena, a horrible, searing pain tearing at his arm. Then he blacked out. Although the pain was still there, it was bearable now. It was a cruel reminder of what the Spirit was capable of, what he was willing to do, and the risks he'd take in order to get what he wanted.

Ryou wrapped his fingers around the edge of his bed, gripping it tightly.

He hated himself, possibly more than he hated the Spirit. How could he be so weak? So useless? How could he fight something from within himself? He didn't know. Ryou was so powerless against him. How could he protect anyone, the people most important to him? The Spirit had proved to him more than once how easy it was for him to take over, to overpower him and control his life, suppressing his spirit completely and then bring pain and misery to others.

And it was by his own two hands, Ryou gravely realized, that others had suffered and were perhaps even killed.

Some nights before the Battle City Tournament began, when he came to in places unfamiliar to him, he began to suspect that the Spirit had been up to no good, that he was the cause of the mysterious deaths among a few individuals. Even with the lack of evidence to prove that the Spirit had committed such atrocities, Ryou had an inkling of this and that was enough for him. He felt awful. He could never tell Yugi and the others about it for fear that they would see him as an enemy and no longer as a friend. He couldn't bear the thought. They would be terrified of him, keep their distance. Perhaps they would hate him.

 _They should_ , he thought. _But_ _I wouldn't want them to leave me._

Ryou didn't want to accept that he was responsible for the horrible things the Spirit had done, but in his heart he knew it to be true. It was through him that the Spirit caused harm to others, and it was through him that he played his sick and twisted shadow games, inflicting punishment left and right like the sadistic monster he was.

"I won't let him take over. I'll fight him," he whispered aloud.

As he listened to his own words, he realized they didn't at all sound convincing in his ears. Somehow, he couldn't believe in himself to have enough strength and courage to put a stop to the Spirit's plans should he return.

A long sigh escaped past his lips as he pushed himself up off the bed. Dragging his feet as he walked towards the bathroom, Ryou dressed in his uniform and prepared himself for school. After eating a quick breakfast, he grabbed his schoolbag and keys before leaving the apartment and making his way to Domino High.

The walk to school was the same as usual. Cars breezed past Ryou at a steady pace as he walked down the sidewalk with his bag in hand. He kept his gaze forward while he slowly drifted away in his mind. His troubled thoughts consumed him so much that he hadn't noticed the wind pick up nor the sound of agitated footsteps nearby. They approached him, closer and closer the footsteps came.

Then, as he turned the corner, a loud thud was heard as his body collided with another, knocking both of them to the ground.

Ryou groaned before lifting his head up to see who he had walked into only to find that the person was already back on their feet. He quickly pulled himself off the ground, dusting off his pants and examining the girl in front of him. Her clothes were rumpled, most likely due to the fall. The pink uniform immediately caught his attention. _She must go to the same high school as me,_ he thought. He listened as she mumbled something to herself, though he wasn't quite sure he understood what it was she was saying. He surveyed her face with mild curiosity. She looked to be his age though something about her made her seem slightly older. Her dark, medium-length hair was pulled loosely into a ponytail with a few wisps framing her face.

As her light brown eyes met his, he gulped. They sparked with something that looked a lot like anger, causing him to straighten up and take a small step back. Struggling to maintain eye contact, Ryou dropped his gaze and spoke.

"S-sorry I bumped into you. That was my fault, I wasn't paying attention."

She didn't say anything.

He looked at her again as she began to straighten out her clothes. Was she really that angry at him? He didn't think he bumped into her that hard, did he? Suddenly, her expression changed. She seemed worried, panicked even as she began scanning her surroundings frantically.

Realizing that she may have dropped something, Ryou looked around and noticed a small, gray pouch next to his shoe. He bent down and picked it up. When she noticed this, she stiffened.

Ryou's lips curved downward into a puzzled frown as he held out the small pouch to her.

"Here you go, this must be yours," he said.

Without a word, she snatched it from his hand. It was then that he noticed the tight fitting, black gloves and black wristband that she wore. _Leather_ g _loves?_ he thought. _What did she need gloves for anyway?_ Taking note of the uncomfortable silence that hung in the air, he regarded her curiously before speaking again.

"I'm a student over at Domino High as well. I could walk there with you if you like."

She stared at him intensely for a few seconds, an unreadable look plastered on her face, then lowered her head and muttered, "No thanks." Her light brown eyes found his once more. "There's something I forgot back at my place," she finished rather quickly.

He suspected she was hiding something but decided it was best not to press her. After all, it was none of his business. Instead, he just nodded before extending his right hand out to her.

"My name's Ryou. Ryou Bakura."

Her eyes flickered to his hand and then back up to his face.

"I've gotta go," she said as she turned around and gave a quick wave of her hand, signaling to him that she was leaving. "I'll be seeing you around, Ryou."

She brushed past him and started off in the opposite direction of where he was headed. Dropping his arm to his side, he watched her turn the corner until she was out of his sight.

Ryou just stood there awkwardly, blinking a few times before scratching the back of his head in total confusion. _Well, that was embarrassing,_ he thought to himself _._ Never before had a girl acted so cold towards him the way she did just moments ago. _At least she wasn't a blushing madness like most of the other girls at school._ That was something he wasn't looking forward to today, that's for sure. Still, she was a very strange girl.

A dark chuckle echoed softly deep within his mind. _She's a bit rude, wouldn't you agree?_

Ryou tensed. It couldn't be. _That voice._ He strained his ears, numb and frightened, waiting for the voice to speak again but heard nothing. He shook his head in disbelief. _No, I must be imagining it._ Exhaustion. Surely it was due to his lack of sleep last night, right? Heck, it could be the pain medication. What if they were similar to that of mind-altering drugs like hallucinogens? He sincerely doubted that.

 _I'm not ready to face him yet… I can't… not now..._

Breathing deeply, he picked up his schoolbag off the ground and continued on his way to the campus. _It's just my imagination. It's just my imagination_. As he looked ahead, he noticed a change in the sky as he caught sight of dark clouds gathering overhead. He sighed. He hadn't brought an umbrella.

* * *

 _ **A/n:** There it is! Hopefully, it's alright and there aren't any mistakes. So sleepy myself, though not as bad as Ryou. We've got a long way to go. Seriously. _

_Please review and let me know what you think.  
_


	3. Chapter III

_**A/n:**_ _Hello, readers! Again, I want to thank Shez for leaving a review, you're amazing, and yes I truly find it helpful. I've made a few changes in the previous chapters based on your suggestions. I'm probably going to go back and fix some chapters as we move forward, clean 'em up a bit. And yes, Ryou fascinates me as well. I really enjoy exploring the minds of some characters, wondering what possible thoughts could be crossing their minds, the emotions and internal conflicts that they may be faced with. I probably do that a lot.  
_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!**

* * *

Chapter 3

The school halls were filled with students and teachers, their voices lively as they shared stories of the Duel Monsters Tournament that recently took place in Domino City as well as various things they had done over the weekend. After the duel against Marik, Yugi Motou had been crowned King of Games and the news of his victory in the Battle City Tournament spread like wildfire. Many people in Domino City seemed amazed and surprised that a boy like him could emerge victorious in both the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City Tournaments, though others could probably care less about what went on in the world of card games. Even at Domino High, it became the talk of the school.

Making his way down the white tiled hallway, squeezing past chattering students who were either heading towards their first class or simply hanging out before the first bell, Ryou caught sight of a few familiar faces.

Smiling, he waved his hand as he approached them, his troubles momentarily forgotten. "Hey, guys!"

Two boys quickly turned their attention towards him, their conversation cut short. One of the boys, Tristan, had brown hair that pointed straight up towards the front. The other boy, Joey, seemed to be the most carefree. His eyes were a deep brown and his blond hair made him easy to spot. Both guys smiled upon seeing him.

"Hey, Ryou," said the two boys in unison.

The boy with blond hair sauntered over to where he stood and gave him a friendly slap on the back. Although the action was light, the force of it still caused him to stumble forward slightly. Joey then nudged him gently in the side, grinning heartily at him. "Bet you wished you slept in, eh pal?"

"You sure look like you could use a little more shut-eye." Tristan pointed out. Turning around, he called out to another boy very much shorter than the rest of the other students. "Hey Yugi! Stop staring at your puzzle and get over here, will ya?"

Ryou glanced over to Yugi who stood a few feet away from them, watching him let out a nervous laugh as he stared down at the golden pendant that hung loosely around his neck, one of the seven ancient Millennium Items, the history behind them and the reason for their existence still shrouded in a fog of mystery. In a rush of words, Yugi spoke to the open air, a private conversation that did not reach Ryou's ears. To everyone else, it would appear as if the short boy were conversing with himself, but Ryou and the others knew about the ancient spirit that inhabited Yugi's body. Like Ryou before, Yugi carried around a Millennium Item that contained an ancient spirit. The difference was that Yugi's item in particular, the Millennium Puzzle, contained the soul of a 3000-year-old Egyptian Pharaoh, someone they had learned to trust and depend on, a true ally and friend, while Ryou's Millennium Ring contained a malevolent spirit who, Ryou admitted, he knew nothing about.

Who was the Spirit of the Ring? He was as mysterious as the items themselves. But before Ryou could ponder this further, the sound of Yugi's voice interrupted him.

"Um, Ryou… hello?"

"Huh?" Ryou shoved his puzzling thoughts aside and focused his attention on the boy in front of him. "Oh, hey, Yugi."

Yugi gave out a small laugh. "Sorry if I interrupted you," he said to him, his hands pulling on the straps of his backpack, bringing it even closer to himself. "Anyway, I'm really glad you were able to come to school today. It's good to see you."

"Likewise," he replied, his lips curling upwards into a smile, but that dropped as soon as he noticed the sudden frown that appeared on Yugi's face.

"Hey, you're not looking so great, you okay?" Yugi said, studying him carefully.

It took nearly half a second for Ryou to register exactly what Yugi meant, as he was immediately reminded of the few dark circles forming under his eyes and was now aware of the slight slump of his shoulders. Thinking back, it wasn't exactly a pleasant image when he examined himself in the mirror earlier this morning.

He shrugged in response. "I'm alright, I didn't get much sleep last night, I suppose."

"I wouldn't expect you to," Joey said as his face took on a serious expression. "Not after what you've been through."

"Feeling any better?" Tristan asked, referring to his injured arm.

Ryou nodded. "I'm fine, guys. The bleeding stopped I think, and my arm is already healing." He lifted up his arm, though the sleeves of his school uniform covered the site, making it impossible to see the wrapped bandages. "My doctor said it'd alright for me to continue going to school as long as I'm careful."

"Well, that's good to hear, just don't go poking at it," said Tristan, smiling slightly as he smoothed over the back of his head and changed the subject. "You know, it's too bad you weren't able to see the final match."

With a wistful sigh, Ryou gave a slight frown. "I know, it really is a shame. That must have been a really interesting duel." Turning towards Yugi, he continued, "And Yugi, the King of Games, I mean the whole school is talking about it."

A big grin spread across Joey's face. "That's Yugi for you, he can take on any duel and win," he said before pumping one of his fists straight up in the air, as if he had just won a duel. "Man, I can't believe he kicked Marik's butt! Well, you know, the deranged looking one."

Tristan replied, "You can say that again. Yugi's untouchable, he really _is_ the King of Games."

"Well, there's no doubt about that," Ryou agreed as he faced Yugi. "He's a great duelist."

Yugi lightly tapped his foot on the floor and lowered his gaze, a faint pink tinge touching his cheeks. "Quit it, guys."

Joey let his arm rest lazily on Yugi's shoulder, closing his eyes as he spoke. "It's a duel I won't be forgettin' anytime soon dat's for sure. The whole thing was just way too intense."

"What was the card that won you the duel again?" Ryou asked. "Ragnarok?"

Yugi nodded. "Yup, that's the one."

Joey grinned from ear to ear, his eyes still closed as he folded his arms across his chest. "It was such a long time ago, but I remember it clearly like it was only yesterday. Yug with all his awesome card combos and da look on Marik's face when he-" His sentence was cut short with a smack to the back of his head. Joey winced in pain, then rubbed the spot on his head before turning around and glaring at the brown-haired boy in front of him. "Tristan! What da hell, man? What was _dat_ for?"

"Idiot. That was only _two_ days ago," responded Tristan.

Ryou stifled a laugh while Yugi cleared his throat.

The blond-haired boy let out a growl as he raised his clenched fists in the air in front of him and held them there, as if to intimidate Tristan. "Geez, you think I don't _know_ that? It was a joke, you moron!"

Tristan tilted his head to the side and snorted in response. "If you call that a joke."

"Easy, guys," Yugi interjected, holding his hands up nervously in the hope that he would calm them. "Don't make a scene."

"Yugi's right, you don't want to receive detention on our first day back, do you?" Ryou asked.

Grumbling, Joey dove his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall. "Whatever. Anyway, I'm glad dat's the last we'll ever see of dat creepy-face bastard."

Tristan placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "Yeah, and it's all thanks to Yugi over here."

Yugi nodded. "I think we really ought to be thanking the Pharaoh. Without him, well, I just don't think I would have been strong enough to defeat Marik's evil side on my own," he said as he looked down at his Millennium Puzzle. "He's helped us out through a lot of tough situations and I don't think we've thanked him enough."

Ryou's eyes fell to the golden pendant around Yugi's neck, his mind suddenly drifting to the spirit whose soul was sealed within the boy's ancient object.

 _Yugi and I have a lot in common,_ thought Ryou, _and yet… we're so very different._ His gaze shifted to Yugi's face, frowning ever so slightly. _He seems quite happy even with everything that's happened to him_. Letting out a sigh, he forced his thoughts into the recesses of his mind.

Grasping at his Puzzle, Yugi too appeared to be wrapped in his own thoughts until a nudge from Joey brought him back. Yugi looked up at the blond-haired boy. "Yes, Joey?"

"You know what I think, Yug?" Joey grinned, a playful look swimming in his brown eyes. "I think Kaiba shoulda given you one of them shiny trophies, and maybe some prize money or a lifetime supply of Kaiba Corp food or somethin'."

With a broad smile, Tristan jumped in and said, "Nah Joey, he should have a nice crown, a really shiny one, to go along with his new title."

Yugi twitched, then waved a hand in annoyance. "I don't think any of those things would be necessary, guys."

Joey continued, "Hey Tristan, how 'bout a crown made o' chocolate with some caramel ta really make it shine, huh?"

"Now that sounds delicious, wish I was the King of Games," said Tristan.

The two boys stared at each other before breaking out into a loud, belly-shaking fit of laughter. Students who walked by watched them with confused expressions on their faces. Yugi simply brought a palm to his now red face, while Ryou rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from the scene, pretending he didn't know them.

"What's so funny, guys?" a voice asked.

Ryou turned in the direction of the voice, instantly knowing who the voice belonged to. A girl with brown, shoulder-length hair walked up to them, wearing what appeared to be a disapproving look as she crossed her arms.

"Hi, Anzu," Ryou greeted her as Yugi came up next to him.

"Morning, Anzu," said Yugi smiling, his face lighting up upon seeing her.

"Morning, guys," replied Anzu happily as she nodded towards the two guys who appeared to be out of breath like they had just run a mile. "Hey, Joey. Tristan."

"Hey, Anzu," said Tristan.

Joey cleared his throat. "You're a little late this morning, dat's not like you. You're usually here before Tristan."

Anzu raised her left brow. "I'm not late, you guys are the ones who are early," she mumbled, annoyance evident in her voice. "I'm right on time."

"What? No way!" exclaimed Joey, as if he had just realized the truth.

Anzu ignored the blond and focused on Ryou, frowning as she fixed her eyes firmly on his arm. "How's your arm?"

Noticing the look of concern on her face, he tried to smile. "It felt better when it wasn't punctured," he lightly joked as he brought his hand up to rub his injured arm gently. "It doesn't hurt that much, though it is getting rather itchy, probably from all the bandages."

"Ah, so…" started Anzu, "do you... remember anything?"

He shook his head slowly in response. _Nothing._ It was as if a portion of his memory of that day just vanished. _It's no use,_ thought Ryou _, I really can't remember much about the Tournament… before and after the hospital… my arm…_ He often thought it was possible for there to be memories hidden deep within him, memories before and during the Tournament Finals, but he was certain if those memories did exist, they didn't belong to him.

"Has anything happened, I mean, has _he_ shown up since?" asked Anzu suddenly, her voice hushed as she spoke.

His eyes drifted downward. "No."

 _I hope not at least_ , he told himself. It was the truth for now. Unease caused an uncomfortable knot in the pit of his stomach as his muscles tensed slightly.

"Good, he's really bad news," said Tristan. "Let's hope he stays gone for good this time. For your sake."

"And for ours," Joey quickly added.

Yugi lowered his head. "Yeah."

After a moment, Tristan spoke. "Let's change the subject, shall we? I think Ryou could use a break."

Anzu pulled on her backpack straps before asking, "So, you guys ready for school?"

Joey snorted. "Course not. You may always be ready, Anzu, but I sure as hell ain't and I never will be. Sittin' in class and takin' notes while teachers brainwash you with their lame old lectures can drive a guy insane. But I guess I could find some way of entertainin' myself. Thinkin' about how I'm gonna kick Kaiba's butt in our next duel always does da trick."

"Oh Joey." Anzu shook her head before turning to face Yugi. "By the way, Yugi, where were you this morning? I came by the game shop and you weren't there. Your grandpa told me you left pretty early."

"Oh…" Yugi began, "well, Joey and I had some business to take care of. Isn't that right, Joey?"

"Right." Joey smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of duel monsters cards. "Thanks, Yug. For everything. Without you, I don't think I'd have ever gotten this far or made it to the Finals."

"Yeah, but don't forget you lost to Marik…" stated Tristan.

"Hey, dat duel doesn't count, you know dat!" exclaimed Joey as he folded his arms and pouted. "I beat that Odion guy, remember? Dat was pretty tough."

Yugi smiled. "I'm sure it was, Joey, you were amazing."

All of them continued in the conversation except for Ryou, who kept silent. Their words began to sound like jumbled up speech in his ears. Suddenly he could no longer hear them.

Listening to his friends and their experiences together caused an aching pain in his chest. He could barely remember the Tournament aside from the few duels he had witnessed in the beginning and the announcement that Yugi was now the King of Games. Everything in between was all a blur. A foggy mess. The less he remembered, the more he felt left out, as if he was no longer a part of the group. Since Duelist Kingdom, the lapses in his memory caused him to feel like a stranger in the world around him.

He only wished he could have been there with his friends, to show his support to both Yugi and Joey. Although his body was there the whole time, his mind never quite was, and he knew exactly _who_ to thank for that. Guilt swept over him as he scolded himself for allowing _him_ to take over all those times. He wasn't sure who to blame for all this. The Spirit. Or himself.

Ryou noticed Yugi staring up at him, wearing an expression of worry on his face.

"Something bothering you, Ryou?" he asked.

Ryou forced a smile. "No, not at all," he lied.

"Oh yeah, I heard there's a new student in the same class as us," said Anzu. "I think she was introduced late last week."

Joey raised his eyebrows. "Really? I don't remember dat."

"Most likely cause we were on Kaiba's aircraft," said Tristan.

 _Wonder if the girl I ran into this morning… Maybe…_

"Hey, guys?" Joey interjected, gathering everyone's attention. "I think we gotta big problem."

Ryou followed his line of sight to see what he was referring to, only wishing he hadn't. He scrunched up his face, his expression sour, as if he had just bitten into a lemon. Like a stampede of wild elephants, a huge wave of girls came running towards them, leaving a trail of dust behind them. Ryou's legs suddenly felt like paper as he struggled to keep himself up. If only he could melt into the walls right now. He closed his eyes as he braced himself.

"Oh, Ryou!" exclaimed one girl as she rushed over to his side.

"Ryou, tell us what Kaiba's Tournament was like?" another girl asked. "I heard you made it to the Finals!"

"Uh…" Ryou blinked a few times before glancing over to Yugi who just smiled nervously. "I'm sorry, I don't quite remember much about the tournament," he said, slowly backing away from the group of girls.

Joey leaned against the wall with one hand and made a noise that sounded like a cough. "I can tell you all 'bout da tournament, girls. You know, Joey Wheeler? Top 4?"

The girls paused to stare at the blond-haired boy as silence hung in the air. For a moment, Ryou thought he could hear the chirping of crickets. The moment ended too soon as the annoying pests returned their attention to him.

"I don't believe for one second that you lost, Ryou!" one of the girls cried out as Joey growled at the scene. "No one can ever beat someone like you." The group of girls swarmed around him, trapping him against the wall.

 _Can't breathe…_

"You're too cute to lose to some nobody!"

Yugi blinked. "Ouch."

"Well guys, it's almost time, should we get to class?" asked Anzu. Yugi and Tristan both nodded.

Shaking off his embarrassment, Joey let out a defeated sigh. "Yeah…"

"Hey wait, you guys, please don't leave without me!" Ryou exclaimed desperately.

* * *

 _ **A/n:**_ _Wow, I didn't think this chapter would be this lighthearted until I started writing it. I know, not much is going on yet, but things will pick up, I promise. I won't tell you when. Ugh, I needs to have me some green tea._

 _Reviews, comments, and/or feedback are greatly appreciated.  
_


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